


UNDECLARED!

by MakeTheShippingStop



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Introspection, Journal, Social Anxiety, tag as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-08 21:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15938276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakeTheShippingStop/pseuds/MakeTheShippingStop
Summary: When you go to college, you keep a journal.





	1. Sept 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corresponding visuals found here:  
> http://maketheshippingstop.tumblr.com/post/177892364908/undeclared-ch-1-sept-1

Monday, (large crossed out section) September 1st 

(*arrow drawn to crossed out section with words: buggered it already*)

G'day journal.

Hm. I don't like calling you "journal." Feel like a middle schooler. I'm gonna give you a name next time. Mum told me to buy you since she thinks it'll help with what will be "a very challenging time" for me, apparently. I don't blame her for wanting to help but I don't think "talking to a book like you're catching up an old friend" is gonna do the trick. I'll give you a shot anyway.  
So here I am.  
University.  
I made it.  
Yaaaaay!  
I wonder how that yay comes across. Sarcastic? Genuine? Monotone? I guess I'll have to get used to this whole written medium thing. Much more used to visual stuff.  
Speaking of visual stuff, my student ID looks bloody awful. It's just my stupid face staring back up at me.  
No shades, no hat, no nothing.

Artist's rendition:  
(*silly sketch of a MANN UNIVERSITY student ID. there's a kangaroo on it. So is the name ARLO MUNDY*)  
God look at me.  
Am I just that unattractive or am I just that severely un-photogenic?  
Either way, I'm trying to "give myself some credit" (another mum-ism) and attempt to think of any picture on any form of ID that makes the holder look good.  
Can't think of any.  
I'm not godawful-looking. I'm just not my type.  
Tick one for positivity. You're welcome, mum.

I'm trying to memorize my student ID number...maybe writing it here a bunch will help  
(*527283 is repeatedly scribbled for a few lines*)  
Don't like how my name looks in the bold all-caps this place chose.  
Just kind of looks weird and loud this way, y'know? Like the card is screaming my name. I suppose I'll get used to it.

There was this whole moment when I had to drag all my damn luggage out of the residential services building and get them off the path so they wouldn't block anyone and there was a family trying to get around me while I was pushi some of it through the door and I got so spooked I had trouble breathing...blimey if that's how I feel with just one group of folks and no actual pressures this place is gonna be HELL.

Not hell. "A very challenging time."  
...honestly both, probably.  
Trying my best already.

Anyways, campus is on one giant hill, so some dorms are uphill and some are downhill. Mine is a downhill dorm called Doublecross, which sounds kind of ominous, really. But I like my room. It's pretty spacious. Don't think the other rooms I walked by are nearly as big. Wonder what that's about. My roommate hasn't arrived yet. RA says his flight won't get in until tomorrow, meaning I have the place to myself tonight. Which is nice.

RA called herself Charlie. I think short for Charlotte. Kind of a weird nickname for a girl. She seems real nice, though. Looks like this.  
(*sketch of the face of a girl with horn-rimmed glasses and her hair in a ponytail with a knot of cloth*)  
Charlie must have a real fondness for weapons? On account of the fact that all of the names up on the doors are written on little handmade paper cutouts decorated with different weapons. Kind of morbid but she's pretty talented, honestly.  
Our door looks like this:  
(*sketch of the top half of a door - on the left is a placard with the name "LEE" and a shotgun, on the right is a placard with the name "ARLO" and two shuriken*)  
I like that it's something unique and not something like Harry Potter houses or zoo animals.

Wasn't much to do tonight besides unpack and wander around the campus a little.  
Lotsa weird feelings about all this. Eager, I suppose, to start, but just so scared.  
Looking forward to things going well hopefully.

Hooroo, Jamie.  
(That's what I'm naming ya)


	2. Sept 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Journal visuals found here:  
> http://maketheshippingstop.tumblr.com/post/177904087128/undeclared-ch-2-sept-2

Tuesday, September 2nd

G'day Jamie.

Met my roommate, I guess is a good place to start. Lee Conagher from Texas. I think parts of Texas have some things in common with Australia. Weather and stuff. Maybe we can bond over that? Unlikely.  
He seems nice. I guess most folks do first time you meet them though. Definitely friendly. Kind of a chatterbox so far. The guy's brilliant, though, I'll tell you that right now. He's in the school of engineering. I didn't know they roomed engineering school kids up with arts & sciences kids. That's nice, huh? He's going for a triple major!! I didn't think they allowed engies to do that. Fella doesn't give off the "I'm-better-than-you vibe really smart people sometimes do. Only reason I know he's gonna be a triple major is cuz he asked what I intended to do.  
'Course I have no idea, but mum says it's normal not to know your major when entering school. So I told him I didn't know yet and he said "ain't that swell."  
Weird guy. I like him.

Matriculation is tomorrow, and then the day after classes start. Kind of wild. Also strange that they're starting classes on a Thursday. Maybe they want to ease us into it? Have two days of class and then a weekend to ready up for your first full week? I can appreciate that.  
Thanks, Mann University.

Christ. Sometimes I forget that's my school's name. But then I look around literally anywhere and I instantly remember it. Because it's everywhere.  
Head of school has plastered all sorts of weird slogans all over this place. Kinda makes me feel like I'm at a business rather than a school. I mean come on.  
" MANN U: THE PLACE YOU GO WHEN YOU WANT TO GO PLACES "  
I haven't met him yet, but that man is already a lot.  
At least the colors aren't shit. They're rather pretty, actually. Some schools have that one awful yellow or a brown, but I can very much handle red and blue. Grey and white accent colors. Not bad at all. Should make for some good school merch.

I'll be right back, Jamie. It's only 8 o' clock I don't know why I'm writing in you yet anyways. Gonna go explore the campus.

Okay I'm back. I ran into an entire group of people! Are you proud of me, Jamie? They had these glowing things and were swinging 'em around. Poster said they were the school's "flow arts" group. Some of them had long glowing sticks and some of them had fan things. It was honestly beautiful. Admittedly, I didn't actually talk to them, I just watched for like forty minutes. But one of them waved at me, which was also amazing.

They had a sign up that said they meet every Tuesday  
I think I'll go back next week!

G'night, Jamie.


	3. Sept 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Journal visuals found here:  
> http://maketheshippingstop.tumblr.com/post/178032112368/previous-next-journal-text

Wednesday, September 3rd

G'day Jamie.  
How you holdin up, mate?  
Today was a doozy.

Had breakfast over at the dining hall on the lower part of campus. There are two bigger dining halls on campus, this one is called Gullywash. So I went there, and the food is actually great here. I heard some other folks complaining about it but I figure it's on account of the spoons not tasting like silver.  
I think it's great.

 

Then got my shit together and took my place at matriculation. Which was just. So many people. I mean obviously. Of course it was going to be right 2,000 new undergrads and some of their folks.

 

Weird to think that whoever's unfortunate enough to be my best friends through college were probably in one of the shots I got. Pictures, I mean.  
Well I guess some folks may be upperclassmen but you get the idea.  
That's one of the things the head of school was talking about, anyway, that around me may be my future confidant. "Future wife, future best man, who knows? It could happen! It's college!"  
Massive mountain of a man, the head of school. He is absurd. Also Australian, so I'm sure that'll make me subject of a lotta wacky jokes...Saxton Hale doesn't even sound like a real name.

 

Anyways I was spooked but fortunately Lee let me sit next to him so I had that as a nice anchor to go off of. Made me feel comfortable enough to go into my scope for a few shots.

 

I got some comments on how pretty the Machina is (that's my camera, Jamie. Named it a long time ago, don't ask. I like naming things if you hadn't noticed, JAMIE) so that felt nice.  
Here's some of the shots I got:

[Picture of Lee smiling and waving  
Picture of the sky  
Picture of the crowd and a tree]

 

Scrambled to figure out a class schedule that both worked and was interesting.  
Classes start tomorrow

Lee wants to chat!  
Hooroo, Jamie.


End file.
